Pre-Kindergarten

The Sandusky City Schools Pre-Kindergarten program, formerly housed at Hancock School, now unites with four SCS Pre-School classrooms formerly housed at the Kaleidoscope Center in Perkins Township at a central location within the district.   Beginning with the 2009-2010 school year, Sandusky City Schools Pre-Schools are centrally located at the Jackson School site. Classrooms operate morning and afternoon sessions housing between 16 and 20 students each, 168 students in all.  Waiting lists exist for all classrooms.  Data collected at kindergarten screening in August of each year supports the need for quality early childhood programs where our youngest students are prepared for today and for tomorrow.  Our Pre-Schools use learning objectives that support and prepare children for the fast-paced Kindergarten curriculum they will encounter in the Sandusky primary program.  Pre-School teachers have mapped-out units of study that integrate language arts, math and integrated technology skills, including the use of interactive white boards and computer software such as the highly-respected Earobics program for auditory discrimination skills.  Sandusky City Schools’ Pre-School program offers parents and students of our community academic gold as its smallest learners begin their climb to school success.

Curriculum Alignment and Mapping

State Minimum Content Standards require that all learning objectives must be completely “aligned” with the state’s minimum standards.  Sandusky City Schools’ teachers both aligned and mapped their standards and curriculum in all core subjects by 2004.   Curriculum maps, warehoused in an online data base, are used by teachers to plan units, develop lessons, integrate technology and plan related curriculum connections.  The maps are periodically reevaluated for their alignment with state-mandated assessment blue prints and revised according to more recent achievement data gathered from benchmark assessments. Contact Dr. Sally Roth, Director of Curriculum, if you have questions about Curriculum Alignment or Curriculum Mapping (419-621-2865).

Reading First

Reading First is a kindergarten through grade three reading initiative that began 2005 and continues into its

5^th year in the Sandusky City Schools.  This program is supported by state/federal competitive grant monies that, over the years and including 2009-2010, total well over 6 million dollars. These funds have been funneled specifically into the teaching of reading in our primary grades.  Through the grant, K-3 classrooms received new, research-based core reading materials Trophies, by Harcourt and teacher-training. Based on test results gathered weekly, teachers organize instruction to provide specific remediation and intervention for struggling readers and challenge for able readers.  Teachers participate in professional development and work in grade level teams to examine results of their instruction and provide appropriate assistance to students who still struggle. Schools are supported by trained Literacy Specialists and Data Managers. Program monitoring is conducted two to three times a year to ensure maximum effectiveness and benchmark results three times yearly show the powerful gains made by our students in reading fluency skills, grades K, 1, 2 and 3. You may contact Dr. Sally Roth (419-621-2865) or June Haynes (419-621-2838) or any primary teacher or principal for more information about Reading First.

Sandusky/Erie County Community Foundation Education Initiative

Through the generosity of our community, the Sandusky/Erie County Community Foundation has made possible an education initiative that over four years has provided waves of benefits for all Sandusky City Schools student. Beginning in grades 7-12, all math classrooms were outfitted with Interactive (Smart) White Boards and projectors to enhance math instruction and teachers were trained to use them with their students. In subsequent years, science, social studies and language arts classrooms were equally equipped. The final year of funds will be used to provide a mobile laptop cart at the junior high and remote response systems in high school math. This grant of $68,000 per year has helped SCS redesign its web site in ways that help the district better communicate with and serve parents and community. For answers to questions about the S/ECCF Education Initiative, in its fourth year in 2009-2010, contact Christine Zess (419-624-3347).

Intervention Assistance Teams

Intervention Assistance Teams operate to discover and help students solve academic or behavioral
problems within the school setting.   Throughout the 2008—2009 school year, teachers and administrators K-12 have been trained in a process called IAT, the use of Intervention Assistance Teams in each school. This process begins with determining root causes of poor achievement and addresses these with sound corrective measures developed by the team. The team is made of the student, the parent(s) and teachers. The key is communication and working together to build and monitor a realistic plan. 50 SCS faculty have been trained to “coach” other staff in the referral, teaming and monitoring process. Schools will begin to pilot this process during 2009-2010. As teachers learn to use IAT effectively, it is hoped that no student will “slip through the cracks” and communication with parents will continue to grow.

Comprehensive Education
SHS offers the finest array of course selections and extracurricular options in this area to best meet the needs of students and of the community. Sandusky City Schools represents a true cross-section of economic, ethnicity and learning needs. For this reason, teachers use a variety of researched teaching approaches that factor-in cultural sensitivity, styles of learning and educational needs. Our “Pre-K through Adult Learners” programs reflect the district belief that Sandusky is a valuable community because of its diverse people and strengths.   SHS prioritizes its attention to core subjects but also celebrates offerings in fine arts, technology, and Career Tech. The broad curriculum speaks to an understanding that our students will be our future citizens and must be so-equipped.   Contact Dr. Sally Roth (419-621-2865), Dan Poggiali (419-621-2746), Karen Clemons (419-621-2701or Nancy Zechman (419-621-2731) for more information about ways Sandusky City School is provides quality education for all learners, aged 3 through adult.


District-Wide School Improvement Initiative

Sandusky City Schools has a district-wide School Improvement Initiative, a written plan that provides a key focus for the year.   Through the Ohio Improvement Process, a diverse team of district personnel including the Superintendent, all central and building administrators, representative teachers and a representative Board of Education member, examined and analyzed district and subgroup achievement data in 2008-2009. Based on this study, the District Focus Team identified two goals for the district, namely reading and math, and several important district-wide strategies to be implemented at the buildings in 2009-2010. Building Focus Teams will interpret the District Goals, Strategies and Action Steps as they relate to work with the students of that building, create a building plan and monitor those plans for increased achievement in both reading and math. Contact William Pahl, Superintendent (419-621-2718) for more information on the Ohio Improvement Process, alive and well in Sandusky City Schools.

Dr. Sally Roth

419-621-2865

SRoth@scs-k12.net